Author: Mufti Noor Mohammad Mohibi
The Quran: A Miracle Beyond Time- A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (part 65)
AIDS in the Light of Science and Divine Guidance
The world of microbes is a realm whose discovery is among the recent achievements of science. The word “germ” originally means “the root and origin of everything,” and these extremely small beings have been given this name because they are the source and basis of many diseases. These beings cannot be seen with the naked eye and are observable only through advanced scientific instruments.
In the Noble Qur’an, there is a subtle indication of the existence of unseen beings, where Allah the Exalted says: “فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَا تُبْصِرُونَ وَمَا لَا تُبْصِرُونَ” [1] Translation: “So I swear by what you see, and by what you do not see.”
What human beings do not see is part of the “relative unseen,” meaning things that exist within the scope of our existence but that our senses are unable to perceive or observe directly. One of the most prominent examples of this relative unseen is precisely these microbes and viruses, which are present in all aspects of human life: in food, water, air, and even human contact.
Since the religion of Islam is a complete program for human life, there is undoubtedly, within divine legislation, guidance and instructions for protecting human beings from the harms of these microscopic organisms.
The body’s defense system (immune system)
In the human body, there are three main types of blood cells:
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Red blood cells, whose function is to transport oxygen.
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White blood cells, whose function is to defend the body.
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Platelets, which are responsible for stopping bleeding.
White blood cells are in fact the “defensive army of the body.” They prepare themselves against every microbial and viral attack and defend the body. This remarkable army has special capabilities:
– It can move against the flow of blood;
– It can exit the blood vessels and enter the tissues;
– It can pass through the body’s strong barriers in order to pursue the enemy at any point.
These cells gather in specific centers called “lymph nodes.” These nodes function like defensive fortresses of the body, where white blood cells are trained, organized, and antimicrobial substances are produced.
Scientists say that a portion of these cells has an “intelligence” function; that is, they make the first contact with the microbe, identify its structure, and then relay the necessary information back to the command center (the lymph nodes). There, special substances called “antibodies” are produced, which are used like weapons to destroy the enemy. Following this, a group of combat cells carrying these antibodies moves toward the enemy, surrounds the microbe, and destroys it. White swelling or inflammation in the body is in fact the result of this internal battle between defensive cells and disease-causing agents.
However, sometimes this defensive system, despite all its power and organization, “breaks down,” and one of the most dangerous diseases that causes this is “AIDS.”
The nature and reality of AIDS
AIDS, or “acquired immune system deficiency,” is a very dangerous viral disease that was first identified in 1981 in the United States of America. At the beginning, only five cases were identified, but within a short time the number of infected individuals reached hundreds and then thousands. In 1984, the number of patients reached twelve thousand, half of whom died.
To this day, no definitive cure for AIDS has been discovered, and all scientific efforts are focused only on slowing the progression of the disease and supporting the patient. The virus responsible for this disease, known as HIV, paralyzes the body’s immune system, particularly targeting white blood cells of the “CD4” type, which are the main commanders of the body’s defensive army.
As a result of the destruction of these cells, the body becomes defenseless even against ordinary microbes, and any simple infection can lead to death.
Statistics and global spread
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), in recent years about “34 million people” worldwide were infected with the AIDS virus. However, health experts believe that the real figure is twice or even more than this amount.
Many countries of the world, especially societies in which moral corruption and sexual immorality are widespread, have suffered the greatest harm from this disease. Statistical studies show that in societies where sexual promiscuity, drug addiction, and illicit relationships are prevalent, the rate of AIDS infection is increasing in a “geometric” or even “explosive” manner. In some countries, one person dies every ten seconds due to AIDS. Projections warn that if the current trend continues, the number of infected individuals may exceed one hundred million by the year 2100.
The link between human behavior and infection with disease
The AIDS virus is mainly transmitted through the following ways:
• Illicit and reckless sexual contact;
• Sharing needles among drug addicts;
• Transmission of contaminated blood;
• And, in rare cases, from an infected mother to the fetus.
The strange characteristic of this virus is that in most cases it is transmitted “through illicit relationships and moral deviations.” This is the very point about which the Noble Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah warned centuries ago.
Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says: “وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا ٱلزِّنَىٰۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا”[2] Translation: “And do not approach adultery. Indeed, it is an abomination and an evil way.”
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “يَا مَعْشَرَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ خَمْسٌ إِذَا ابْتُلِيتُمْ بِهِنَّ، وَأَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ تُدْرِكُوهُنَّ: لَمْ تَظْهَرِ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي قَوْمٍ قَطُّ، حَتَّى يُعْلِنُوا بِهَا، إِلَّا فَشَا فِيهِمُ الطَّاعُونُ، وَالْأَوْجَاعُ الَّتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ مَضَتْ فِي أَسْلَافِهِمُ الَّذِينَ مَضَوْا [3] …” Translation: “O group of the Muhājirīn! There are five things: if you are afflicted with them—and I seek refuge in Allah lest you encounter them; never does immorality appear openly among a people except those plagues and diseases spread among them that were not present among their predecessors who passed away.”
This noble hadith clearly explains the connection between sexual deviation and the emergence of new diseases, and today medical science confirms this very truth.
Divine Wisdom in the Health System
AIDS is one of the most remarkable examples of divine warning in the present age. This virus is designed in such a way that it is “not easily curable or controllable” and continuously changes its form and structure; therefore, a definitive vaccine has not yet been developed. However, at the same time, “prevention is very easy” simply by observing purity, chastity, and adherence to the divine method in human relations.
In other words, Allah, Glorified and Exalted, has placed an internal punishment in nature for moral negligence so that humans understand that immorality and transgression of divine limits have dangerous consequences.
As the Noble Qur’an states: “ظَهَرَ ٱلفَسَادُ فِی ٱلبَرِّ وَٱلبَحرِ بِمَا كَسَبَت أَیدِی ٱلنَّاسِ لِیُذِیقَهُم بَعضَ ٱلَّذِی عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُم یَرجِعُونَ [4]” Translation: “Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of people have earned, so that He may let them taste part of what they have done, perhaps they will return [to righteousness].”
Among the signs of divine wisdom is that despite the contact of insects such as mosquitoes with infected blood, the AIDS virus is not transmitted through this route. This scientific fact indicates that the disease is not accidental but rather a warning and reminder for humans to turn away from the path of corruption and immorality.
Social and Moral Message
A healthy society is based on a pure family and legitimate marriage. Every young person who seeks lawful work and a pure marriage truly contributes to the prosperity and well-being of their community. In contrast, anyone who indulges in forbidden desires unknowingly participates in the destruction of themselves, their family, and society. As the poet says:
“یا بناتَ الجیلِ هَیا حصِّنوا هذا البناء احفظوا جیلَ الشباب أرشدوهم للصواب
فهم النبعُ الغزیر ولكم عذبُ الشراب حصّنوا كلّ الشباب لینیروا كالبدور
یسّروا أمر الزواج لا تغالوا بالمهور واحذروا داءَ التباهی بالأثاثِ والقصور”
Translation: “O daughters of the current generation, come and strengthen this building [society and family]. Preserve the young generation and guide them to the right path. They are a gushing spring and will be for you a sweet drink. Protect all the youth so that they shine like the full moon. Make marriage easy and do not exaggerate in dowries. Beware of the disease of showing off with furnishings and palaces.”
This poem conveys a clear message: chastity, knowledge, and easy marriage are the keys to a healthy society.
In conclusion, AIDS, beyond being a medical crisis, is a divine warning calling humans back to their natural disposition. A society that observes the limits set by Allah remains in the fortress of physical and spiritual health, but when immorality and corruption emerge, new diseases and disorders arise.
Thus, faith, chastity, knowledge, and moral commitment are the only true shields against this calamity. The real cure lies not in medicine or vaccines, but in “returning to the divine path and the straight way.” [5]
To be continued…
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References:
- Surah Al-Haaqqa: 38-39.
- Surah Al-Isra: 32.
- Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Tribulations, Chapter on Punishments, Hadith No.: 4019, Vol. 2, p. 1332, edited by Abdul-Baqi.
- Surah Ar-Rum: 41.
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Summary of the topic from: Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Vol. 1, pp. 221-229.
